226: How to Lead Training, Attitude, and Energy, with Bonni Stachowiak

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed

Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She joins me monthly to respond to listener questions.

Question from Maurice

Are there any resources out there on energy and leadership? With that I don’t mean the energy which seeps out you as you struggle through the day, but rather the energy which you project in any given situation.

I volunteered at a dog shelter for a year. During that year I devoured any and all episode of ‘The Dog Whisperer’. I discovered that being aware of one’s energy before entering a scene had impact. In this case on dogs, their reaction to me and their attitude in general. I strongly believe this awareness of one’s energetical state impacts humans as well.

So, in February of this year I became a dad. Being aware of how sensitive small children are, I tried to be conscious of my energy around him as well. It worked! Usually in the way, that he tends to fall asleep in my arms. I’ve found a way to create a pool of calm energy around me. Some might call it: centered, or grounded.

I’m confident that the purposeful use of our inner energy has a deep impact on our environment. This sub conscious communication fascinates me hugely. Do you, or does Bonni, know of any resources on this topic?

Question from Lisa

Thank you for the coaching for leader’s podcasts, they helped me to get my first manager role which I will start in January 2016! I have a question which I hope you might be able to assist with. The team leader (who I will be reporting to) was speaking at our team Christmas party about how the work we do just isn’t really a worthwhile job, and while you are on your deathbed you aren’t going to be thinking about it (for background, we deal with legal claims against a government agency). The fact that he holds that view isn’t great, but I think sharing it with your team is plain wrong! I want team members to know that they do important work which is worth being passionate about. How do you recommend dealing with this attitude in the most professional way?

Question from Ian

Six months ago I started a new position and have implemented a fair number of changes to the team to improve performance, metrics, and customer services. Most initiatives have been well received, we are definitively making progress and everyone is now seeing the benefits. To capitalize on the credibility that this has afforded me, I have begun the next phase of revitalizing the department by conducting monthly goals/coaching sessions with each individual. The point here is to keep them on task with their professional goals, encourage them to develop personal goals, and to continually work with them on time management, team building, and to continually refine their “Why” (a topic I was very interested in on episode 223).

As part of this process I want to provide them with some good reading, podcasts, or other resources for honing these skills, but I have been coming up short. There are no shortage of leadership/management books and podcasts but I am looking specifically for resources that are geared towards promoting personal and professional development for staff. My normal go-to’s for staff reading have been, Raving Fans and Gung Ho by Ken Blanchard, but I was looking for more resources to offer my team for professional development.

Resources

• Real Magic* by Wayne Dyer
• The Power of Intention* by Wayne Dyer
• Power vs. Force* by David Hawkins
• Flow* by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• What Search Dogs Teach About Engagement, with Jan Frazee (episode 25)
• How to Improve Your Coaching Skills, with Tom Henschel (episode 190)
• Start With Why* by Simon Sinek
• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People* by Stephen Covey
• Getting Things Done* by David Allen
• Five Dysfunctions of a Team* by Patrick Lencioni
• Dale Carnegie
• Udemy
• A Productive Conversation by Mike Vardy
• Career Tools by Michael Auzenne and Mark Horstman
• How To Create a Personal Knowledge Management System, with Bonni Stachowiak (episode 129)

Discover More

Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.